DPS in the 60s

[RGK20m3]

I attended Detroit Public Schools and at that time there were “A” and “B” semester classes [[not to be confused with the “Special B” which was learning-challenged); I was in the “A” where the grade finished in January each year. I think it was based on birth date. IIRC, I was the second youngest in my class with a birthdate at the end of March. I wonder how long DPS did it, and whether it was some kind of experiment to see if kids did better with less age variation; I do know that most of my friends from 6-8th grade were the “B” group, who were a little younger.
Also, my grade school [[Crary) was K through 8th, class was split to a couple of different middle schools for 9th, and different high schools for 10-12th grades. Personally think that wasn’t a particularly brilliant idea, kids at that age being separated from their friends at a pretty social developmental period.
I went to Cerveny where I knew no one [[the A/B thing didn’t help), then Cass Tech for a while [[skipping more than I went), ending up at Cooley. Grades 9-12 for me sucked socially.

[birwood]

I went to Mackenzie, graduating in 68 and I was in the "B" Group, with the school year starting in September and ending in June. And Yes, the "A" groups graduated in January, "B" in June. I understood it was based on the way your birthday month fell...but mine was February.

[RGK20m3]

I went to Mackenzie, graduating in 68 and I was in the "B" Group, with the school year starting in September and ending in June. And Yes, the "A" groups graduated in January, "B" in June. I understood it was based on the way your birthday month fell...but mine was February.

Maybe I am remembering wrong, maybe I was one of the oldest? Too many years ago…
There were only 29 in my elementary school class.

[jcole]

I started Kindergarten at Burbank in Sept 61 and moved up to 1st grade in January so I was B grade, but my parents moved me to St Jude in Sept of 62 so I had to start 1st grade over. Having a year and a half of 1st grade pushed me ahead in reading and other subjects which was kind of cool

[13606Cedargrove]

My experience with DPS is similar to jcole's. I still don't understand how this happened, but my parents started me at Robinson kindergarten in January 1959 when I was still 4 years of age. In September 1959 I would have been only five years of age starting 1st grade. So, I did another semester in kindergarten that Fall moving up to "B" 1st grade in January 1960. In September 1960 I was in 1st grade at Assumption Grotto. I remember being ahead in reading and arithmetic, which gave me a very good start. I remember my time in DPS as positive and educational - Sixty years later!

[Gistok]

I was part of the "B" classes [[grade finished in June). When I was in the 10th grade, I took Chemistry 1 in the fall, but instead of taking Chemistry 2 in the following spring, I took the much more important to a teen... drivers training [free back then]. So that meant that the following fall I took Chemistry 2 with the "A" students... and I knew very few students in that class.

[RGK20m3]

There was a long waiting list for drivers ed when I was eligible, so I did it privately with money from my paper route. Didn’t get my license until I was 17 as a result. I recall the instructor telling me to turn here, turn there, park here- then he got out and went into a drugstore to buy cigarettes.

[jcole]

I was a 15 yr old Freshman when I took drivers ed at Denby even though I went to Regina; it was still free, paid by the city. Denby was one of a few schools who had a course on the property so we learned to drive in what was, in essence, Denby's parking lot. It had little roads, stop signs, parking spots, etc, but we couldn't go faster than 15mph. We were NEVER taken out on the roads where there was real traffic. So I learned to drive very slowly and with no other cars whizzing by or cutting me off, etc. I didn't get a license until I was nearly 18 and am still a very nervous driver when I seldom get behind the wheel

[Zacha341]

Hah! How's about that. I attended Murray-Wright late 70's - early 80's and there was no official track for drivers training.

Our instructor had us circled the parking lot a bit, then slowly drove around the school over and over. This was a lot of direct street driving in a fairly predicable aspect as you had 12th, 14th, Warren and Forest as full circle. All one-way streets around the high school.

Then we'd go down 12th and 14th all the way north to Davison, etc. Those that did well did great. I did. I took my test in an Econoline, short Ford van and passed easily - including parallel parking on a dime.

I got better from my years on WSU and CCS campuses where you had to park tight, or else! Learned how to drive a stick when I was about 24 or so. Drove them for about 20 years.

[jackie5275]

I went to Mackenzie, graduating in 68 and I was in the "B" Group, with the school year starting in September and ending in June. And Yes, the "A" groups graduated in January, "B" in June. I understood it was based on the way your birthday month fell...but mine was February.

This practice was seemingly back into the 40s. My dad, who graduated from Western in 1949, was in the B grade graduating in June. His birthday was in January. He was 18 when he graduated.

[scribe114]

My mother has an April Birthday and she was B-Track in the June 1959 class of Eastern. My Grandmother was born June 11th and she was on the A track and graduated in January of 1939 from Miller when it was converted to a High School. I know 2 of her sisters [[June and November birthdays) were A-tracked January graduates too at Miller in '37 and '41.

So I am guessing June 1st was the birthday cutoff for enrollment or you started in January.

The A-B School Calendar was continued through the early 60's is my guess and the January tracking was phased out by the mid-70's graduating classes due to declining enrollment. As all of the older kids on my block I grew up with and my brother all started Kindergarten along with myself in September. My brother in 1960 myself in 1973 and I think November 15th was the cutoff age to start Kindergarten.

[CassTechGrad]

I went to White Elementary, just north east of Hamtramck. Graduation notice for my 6A class in January.

[jiminnm]

The A-B School Calendar was continued through the early 60's is my guess and the January tracking was phased out by the mid-70's graduating classes due to declining enrollment.

First terms of a grade were designated as "B" and second terms of a grade as "A." That tracked through grades 1-12. I graduated from Cass in June 1965, which was a grade year term that started in Sept and ended in June. My Bday is in July. My wife graduated from McKenzie in January 1966, and her grade year terms started in January and ended in January. Her Bday is in April.

Grade 12B students were sometimes called the Maybe Class.

[takascar]

I went to Clark on Bremen St. and as I recall, we were there when they made a major change. I think this was in 1971 or so.

Prior to that, you stayed in the same classroom all day long and had math, reading and spelling during one part of the day and science, social studies, art, etc in the second part of the day.

One January, we all came in they all of a sudden changed up everything. They separated classes into "Sections". I think there were two "sections" or classes per grade for grades 1-8 [[Clark was K-8) .

Depending on your section, you either had "homeroom" in the morning or the afternoon. Homeroom was where you learned math, reading, spelling. In the second part of the day [[morning or afternoon), you moved around from classroom to classroom taking things like science, art, social studies, "auditorium" and gym.

Does anyone know if this change was district-wide? I know we didn't have it at Clark till 1971.

[royce]

I find this discussion of an A and B grouping of students utterly confusing. So, there were students who graduated from high school in January of the year, and if they were going to college, they had to wait until the fall to start? Then, CassTechGrad, if you graduated from sixth-grade in January of the year, did you start seventh-grade days later or did you stay at home for nine months until it was time to start seventh-grade in September of that year?

Also, I never understood the concept of middle schools and junior highs in in public schools. So, you go to an elementary school for six years [[K-5), then a middle school for just three years [[6-8), or for some, elementary school for seven years [[K-6), a junior high school for three years [[7-9), and then finish only three years in high school, where you were never technically a "freshman" in high school.

I always thought it was a bad idea to send kids to middle school or junior high for just three years. I went to the same catholic school from first-grade through eighth-grade and felt like I had an extended family because I went to school with the same classmates for years and you would often get the same teachers that taught your older brothers or sisters. Our only big transition was going to high school. Most, if not all, Detroit Public Schools are now K-8 schools.

[Jimaz]

I find this discussion of an A and B grouping of students utterly confusing....

It seems designed to confuse. I'm avoiding trying to understand it.

Also, I never understood the concept of middle schools and junior highs in in public schools....

I never understood the rationale for their existence distinct from elementary and high school. The timing suggests it has something to do with puberty but I'm not sure how segregating is beneficial. Of course I'm no expert in the subject.

[jcole]

if you graduated from sixth-grade in January of the year, did you start seventh-grade days later or did you stay at home for nine months until it was time to start seventh-grade in September of that year?

If you graduated 6th grade in January, you started 7th grade at the beginning of the next semester, presumably February. You continued on finishing your grade in January and starting the new one in February. As to college, I don't know how that was handled except to say there is nothing carved in stone that says one has to start college in September. Semesters start 4 times a year; Sept, Jan, May and July.

[13606Cedargrove]

January graduates started college in the Spring semester or Winter quarter depending on the college. I know of couple of guys from my neighborhood who did that.

[ct_alum]

First terms of a grade were designated as "B" and second terms of a grade as "A." That tracked through grades 1-12. I graduated from Cass in June 1965, which was a grade year term that started in Sept and ended in June. My Bday is in July. My wife graduated from McKenzie in January 1966, and her grade year terms started in January and ended in January. Her Bday is in April.

Grade 12B students were sometimes called the Maybe Class.

Proud member of the September 1970 Maybe Class at Cass, graduated in June 1971

[jiminnm]

Proud member of the September 1970 Maybe Class at Cass, graduated in June 1971

Relics of the era before you.

[CassTechGrad]

Class of 1966, homeroom 623. Do you remember the little building right on the corner of Henry and 2nd, in the small parking lot, called the Squeeze-In?

[jiminnm]

I do remember the Squeeze-In was there, but only went in a couple of times. One semester PhysEd was bowling, and we went to the ancient bowling alley on Henry. They still used human pinsetters and their legs hung down behind the pins. If you threw your ball too soon, you might get a pin to hit one before he jumped up to his seat. That was usually followed by a stream of profanity.

I still have some of my old ID cards, which state that my senior year homeroom was 617N. Edward Navickas was my Counselor. He was a nice guy but not at all helpful in finding identifying future career, college or college scholarship possibilities. Unfortunately, I don't recognize anyone in your photo.

[ct_alum]

Relics of the era before you.

Yes! I had both the Junior flag and the Maybee button